Revolution
by Violet Rose of Darkness
Summary: In which Moon's betrayal cuts deeper than anyone expects and Star and Marco are left to their own devices. ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**So, this is something that was floating around in my head since _Pizza Party_ and I had to get it off my chest. Please enjoy.**

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It felt like time had stopped.

Just a few minutes ago, everything had been perfect. She had finally been able to confess her true feelings to Marco, had received his affection in return. They had kissed. They had kissed so willingly and freely without fear of hurting Tom. And what a kiss it had been. She had felt everything from him in that kiss; his passion, his tenderness, and his warmth. She had felt it all and she had given it all to him in return. She had been glowing with happiness and love.

And it had all left her in an instance.

Star Butterfly gaped at the sight of her mother and Eclipsa glaring each other down, the former's eyes aglow. Eclipsa's parasol was charged with her black magic, while Moon's hands were charged with her blue magic. Both women visibly endowed with rage at one another, and it was making Star sick to her stomach. Eclipsa turned slightly to acknowledge her, little Meteora having a particularly sour look on her face for a baby.

"W-What's going on?" she asked carefully, her hold on Marco's hand tightening. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest as dread clenched her stomach. A sinking suspicion crept up her throat, but she shoved it down, refusing to believe it. That wouldn't happen. Never in a million years.

Eclipsa turned back to face her opponent. "Do you want to tell your daughter what you did?" she bit out. "Or should I?"

Moon's glowing eyes faded as her gaze settled on her daughter as her face softened slightly.

"Mom," spoke Star, the word feeling wrong on her lips for the first time in her life. She didn't know why this was when everything was fine. It was fine, right? The two of them must have been having a spat. "What did you do?" Perhaps her mother had eaten the last Snookers or Eclipsa had spilled something on her mother's dress. It had to be something small like that.

But the blond girl had never seen Eclipsa look so angry in all the time she had known her. Not when someone had made an attempt on her life, not when she thought that Star was going to hurt Heinous, and not when they had discovered Rhombulus' treachery in releasing Globgor.

She knew that something serious had just happened. Something that was much bigger than her.

"First of all," began Moon, her voice calm and collected as turned to fully face her daughter. That was the voice of the true diplomat she was. "this did not go down the way I intended." She held her hands up as a sign of peace, but that wasn't how she saw it. She saw it as a way of placating her as if she was fourteen years old again and had just caused havoc across the kingdom with her newly acquired wand.

She had come so far since then. At least, she thought so and she had assumed that her mother thought so too. Clearly, she had been wrong.

"I-I-" Star's hand involuntarily dropping Marco's as she approached her mother. Her mother, who now felt like a perfect stranger. "What do you mean 'intended?'" It all started to come together in her head, like pieces of the jigsaw puzzle Rafael and Angie had shown her on her first week staying with them. Only instead of a cute kitten, this puzzle came together to paint a different picture. A picture of lies, betrayal, and deceit.

"Are you, are you working for _Mina_?" came the accusation from her own mouth. She hoped, she _prayed_ that this wasn't the case.

Moon's gaze hardened slightly, her eyebrows furrowed in pure determination and her lips pursed a firm, straight line. "No," she answered. "Mina's working for me."

And that was when her entire world fell apart.

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She actually felt as if she was going to throw up.

"Star," Moon began, regardless of her daughter's silence at her revelation. She had done that often throughout her life. Disregarded how she felt, always dismissing what she had to say. She thought it had stopped sometime after she was right about Heinous being Meteora, but apparently, she had been wrong. "I know it must seem crazy that Mina's working for me. But let me explain."

But the woman standing in front of Star wasn't her mother. No, this woman was a stranger that she didn't know. And worse? Star didn't want to know her. She felt her magic swell inside her as her anger rose to violent heights. "You... TRAITOR!" she roared, transforming into her Butterfly form without meaning to. Random spells flew from her multiple hands, to which everyone shielded themselves.

Moon quickly shifted into her own form, flying up to her level. "I know what this looks like, but you have to understand-"

But Star was having none of it. "Understand what?!" she snapped, more excess energy shooting out without her consent. She supposed that she was so much angry that her magic needed a release.

Her mother conjured a shield. "Mina was already planning to overthrow Eclipsa," she pleaded. "Trust me, I stopped her from doing far worse."

This only served to make her angrier, more magic rolling off her in waves. "So, you start a _**revolution**_ behind my back?!"

Star didn't know this at the time, but that word would loom over her head for a very long time. _Revolution_ would be a word forever ingrained into her life, into her mind, and into her heart.

Moon was becoming angry too, that much was clear by the enraged look on her face. It was as if she had done nothing wrong. As if she was completely justified in her treacherous actions and Star was being the unreasonable one. "That one who started this was _her_!" She pointed at Eclipsa, but that wasn't all she did.

No, a blast of electric blue magic shot out from Moon's hand and toward Eclipsa. The Queen of Darkness gave a yelp, immediately shielding Meteroa from the blast with her body. Eclipsa herself was not as lucky, however, because she ended up taking the full brunt of the blast.

Time seemed to move in slow motion as the teal-haired woman fell to the ground. Her mouth formed an 'O' shaped upon her descent, her grip tight on her baby as she forced herself to fall backward as to not crush the infant.

"_Eclipsa!_" screeched Star. She dropped her Butterfly form, rushing over to her fallen friend. "Oh, no. Oh no, oh no, oh no!" She took the woman's face in her hands, pleading that she was alright. It felt as if that spell had directly pierced her heart instead of hitting her. "Y-You're going to be alright, I promise." She knew, however, that she couldn't keep that promise as she felt Eclipsa's breathing pick up as if she was struggling for air.

"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Moon, also dropping her form. She approached them but kept her distance. "T-That was an accident!"

Star glared daggers at her. "Like anyone's going to believe that!" she bit out angrily. Tears welled in her eyes as she focused on Eclipsa's paler-than-normal face. "Hey, Eclipsa, stay with me. Please. You need to stay with me!"

Eclipsa offered her a weak, sad smile. "It's alright, Star," she assured her, her breathing still labored. "I tried my best, but it appears my best wasn't enough."

The blond shook her head, refusing to accept this as tears streamed down her face. "No, you're going to be alright!" she insisted. "You can't leave, not now! Mewni needs you. Meteora and Globgor need you. _I_ need you!" She had come to rely on the older woman in recent weeks. Eclipsa always said that she counted on her, but really, that went both ways. Eclipsa had been there for her, had been the persons she confided in.

She couldn't lose her now.

"P-Promise me something, dear," requested Eclipsa softly. She took Star's face in her hands, gently caressing her heart-shaped cheek mark. "Promise me that you'll look after Meteora. Promise me that you'll take care of Mewni for me."

"You'll do all that yourself!" asserted Star. "You're not going anywhere!" Why was Eclipsa even saying these things? She was going to be alright! She had survived three hundred years in a crystal and had survived being ripped away from her husband and daughter. Surely, she could survive a simple magical blast that hadn't even been cast on purpose. She had to!

But Eclipsa, using all her strength, raised the hand holding her wand and offered it to the blond girl. "Promise me, Star Butterfly." Her violet eyes were narrowed sternly and insistent. She wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Her hand shaking, Star took the wand from the dying woman. Instantly, it transformed into her purple-colored wand with butterfly wings, devils horns, and a star in the middle. "I-I promise," she vowed. Instantly, she felt Eclipsa's dark magic engulf her for a brief second, her cheek marks lighting up at the contact.

She didn't know for sure, but she had the feeling that she had just made a magical oath.

Eclipsa smiled up at her. "Thank you, dear." She looked down at her daughter, who was staring at her in confusion. "Sweetheart, I love you so much. I'm so sorry that I have to leave you so soon." She caressed the clovers on Meteora's cheeks before pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "Know that I will always be with you."

With that, her eyes flutter closed and the Queen of Darkness was no more.

Meteora titled her head in confusion. "Mama?" she questioned. When there was no response, the baby began to wail. And this wasn't like her usual baby whines. No, this was full-blown sobbing and each screech felt like a dagger to Star's heart.

She took the baby in her own arms, rocking her. "Shh, Meteora," she soothed. Of course, she felt like crying herself, but she knew she couldn't. She had to be strong for the baby. "It's going to be alright. I won't let anything happen to you, I swear it." Meteora didn't look very happy but quieted down, nestling into Star's chest.

Moon tried to approach her. "Star, I didn't mean to do that," she insisted. "You have to believe me!"

Star glared at her, putting some distance between them. She didn't trust herself in front of her mother at the moment. "I don't even know who you are right now," she responded, feeling nothing but disgust for the woman. It was a sick feeling, being disgusted with your own mother.

Moon gave a ragged sigh, running her fingers through her hair. "Star, I know you don't trust me right now, but I need you to give me the baby and the wand," she demanded. "Mina's coming and-"

Star tightened her hold on both Meteora and the wand. "If Mina's coming, then I'm getting Meteora as far away from her as possible!" she interrupted. Her mother was right, she didn't trust her. She killed Eclipsa, who was to say that no harm would come to the baby in her arms?

Over her head body. She had made a promise to Eclipsa and she was going to keep it.

Moon's facial features twisted into that of frustration as she made a grab at her daughter. "Star, we don't have time for this!" she exclaimed.

Star quickly moved out of her reach. "You're right," she agreed calmly. She looked to Marco for the first time since they had come into the room. "Marco."

Marco seemed to understand as he took her by the waist and pulled out his Dimensional Scissors. Neither of them had any idea if the portals were working, but all they could do was hope. Mina was on her way and if they didn't get out of here soon, Eclipsa's sacrifice for her daughter would be in vain.

"Star?" questioned Moon. Her voice held a hint of franticness and that somehow gave the blond satisfaction. Good. Let her panic. The reserved, proper queen deserved to have her facade broken. "Star, what are you doing?"

Star glared in response. "I'm keeping my promise," she answered. She nodded at her boyfriend. Marco used his scissors and, to both their surprise, it worked. Without another moment of hesitation, both clambered through the portal, Star's arms enveloping Meteroa as tight as she could. She would do as Eclipsa wanted, she would protect the baby, even if it was from her own mother.

"STAR!" was the last thing the blond heard before they abandoned Mewni completely.

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**I probably won't continue this until after "Cleaved" airs, but I will be working on it. I just want to wait in case there's anything I have to change. And let me just say that I don't hate Moon. I am disappointed with her betrayal, but the MHC are still the worst people ever. Besides, Moon's descent into darkness will be fun to write. Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So, now that "Cleaved" has aired, I'll try to update at least once a week. I've gotten up to chapter four, so we'll see how that goes. And if you haven't seen it yet, there aren't any spoilers here, so feel free to read on. ****Anyway, please enjoy!**

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They ended up back at the Diaz household.

"Quick!" urged Star as soon as she was fully through the portal. "Close it!" She was trembling with fear; fear that her mother would follow them. Fear that her mother would try to take Meteora from her, from them. She swallowed thickly, trying to keep her erratic feelings at bay. They had a lot to deal with and her panicking was not going to help in the slightest. She had to focus. She had to breathe.

Marco clumsily closed the portal, fumbling with his Dimensional Scissors afterward. And that was a sign. Because Marco had become a damn-near expert with those scissors. It was a sign that he hadn't expected her mother's betrayal any more than she had. A sign that he couldn't believe that Eclipsa was dead either. A sign that he was freaking out too, he just wasn't showing it.

And, somehow, that made her feel a little better.

The two teenagers stood in silence for a while. Star certainly didn't know what to say and she surmised that Marco didn't either. Hell, she didn't know what to do. Where were they supposed to go from here? Did they go back to Mewni to fight Mina and her mother? Did they stay here and hope that her mother never found them?

Star felt even worse when she remembered her friends. Kelly, Ponyhead, and the others still had the wound from the first Solarian Warrior. Not to mention, Globgor as well. Eclipsa had told her that victims of the wound would eventually explode into bits of light. And honestly? That scared the hell out of her. More than she could care to admit.

"Star."

She was brought out of her thoughts by Marco, who was looking at her with concern painted onto his face. She stared at him with wide, blue eyes. How long had he been trying to get her attention? "Star," he said again, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Star's bottom lip trembled slightly at the question. Was she okay? No, she didn't think she was. She could hardly wrap her head around everything that he happened. Everything had been going fine. People had been accepting Eclipsa and Globgor, her mother had reached her own kind of peace, and she and Marco had been taking a well-earned break on Earth.

But it had all been fraudulent; a facade created to lure them all into a false sense of security. And her mother had been the puppet master, plotting and manipulating things on the side.

She only had one question. Why? What had been her mother's motive in orchestrating this? Sure, she had known that Eclipsa being queen had bothered her mother, but she didn't think she'd plot to overthrow her.

Apparently, she had a lot to learn.

Marco gently took her face in his. "Hey," he uttered softly. It was as if he was afraid to say the wrong thing and send her even further into herself. "Talk to me, alright?"

Star took a deep breath. There was not time to feel sorry for herself. They had to figure out their next course of action. "No, I'm not okay, Marco," she finally answered him. "but that doesn't matter right now. What are we going to do?"

He sighed. "I don't know," he admitted. He gestured to the small hybrid in her arms who was looking up at both of them curiously. "All I know is that we can't bring her back to Mewni. With Mina and her Solarian Warriors on the run, it's too dangerous."

She nodded. "You're right," she agreed. "But we can't stay here. My mom knows where you live. And if the portals are working..."

If the portals were working, that meant that her mother could barge in here, a group of bloodthirsty Solarian Warriors at her disposal.

"You think she'd hurt the baby?" asked Marco. She noticed an underlying tone of protectiveness in his voice. She knew he cared about Meteora and she, despite her viciousness toward him, had a particular affection for him (even if it included hissing at him).

Star pondered this and frowned. "I don't know," she confessed. "I don't even know who my mom is right now. But I do know that we can't take that chance." She had to protect Meteora at all costs. If Eclipsa meant anything at all to her, she would honor her dying wish.

"Marco? Star?"

Both teenagers jumped to see a confused Angie Diaz standing in front of them and holding Mariposa in her arms. "I didn't expect you back so soon," she continued, walking toward them. "How did it go? Did you fix everything on Mewni?"

Star felt a pang of sadness in her heart at the sight of the woman. The woman who had opened her heart, home, and family to her. The woman who had taught her how to speak Spanish, how to make a quesadilla, and, most importantly, how to be a mother.

Angie was everything anyone could ever want in a mother. She was warm, inviting, and attentive. She always listened to what her children, including Star, had to say and gave them her full, undivided attention. She was so different from Moon. Moon, who had always looked down on her for being too unruly. Moon, who always dismissed her and her intelligence. Moon, who always seemed to view her as a disruptive child, unable to have her own opinion or views.

She thought things had been changing. But had they really? Had her mother really been improving? Or had it all been a game, a ploy to keep her unconcerned out of the way?

Angie was suddenly right in front of her, looking at her with concern shining in her green eyes. "Star sweetie," she began with a frown. "Are you alright? You look like you're about to cry."

Star suddenly launched herself into the woman's arms, careful of the babies between them. Tears rolled down her cheeks and it felt like a dam had been torn down.

"Oh, dear," said Angie. Her free arm moved to stroke Star's back comfortingly. "It's alright, sweetheart. Whatever happened, everything will be alright. I promise."

The blond wanted to laugh; there was no way that the woman could know that. But the words of sympathy were welcomed anyway. Angie was always so positive and encouraging. It was a refreshing change from her own mother.

Of course, she had loved her mother. In fact, despite all she had done, Star still loved her mother and deep down she knew that the woman loved her too. But she couldn't deny the fact that Angie seemed to connect to her children better. And true, Angie didn't have the weight of an entire kingdom on her shoulders, but queens came in all forms.

Star sniffed and wiped her tears away. "Thanks, Mrs. Diaz," she replied. "I-I needed that."

Angie smiled and gave her a soft pat on the cheek. "Anytime, _chiquita_." She pulled away to look at both her and Marco. "Is there anything the two of you need? Your father is out, I can ask him to pick something up."

"Actually, Mom," Marco intervened before Star took her up on that offer. They both knew that the blond was weak when it came to his mother's mothering. She had a knack for coddling. "we should get going. We just stopped to get our things."

Angie frowned at him. "Are you sure you can't stay?" she asked. "You both look like you've had quite the day. And Meteora looks like she needs a long nap."

Indeed, the baby's magenta eyes were drooping sleepily as she nestled into Star's chest. She gave a little meow of a yawn before her eyes closed completely. Seeing this, Mariposa reached towards the other baby, insisting to be held by Star's other arm. The blond obliged, positioning herself so that she could take the baby into her left arm. Mariposa gurgled happily before her own eyes began to droop.

The woman across from her smirked. "Well, it's decided then," she stated resolutely. "The three of you will rest here. At least for tonight."

Star and Marco couldn't say no. Or rather, they didn't have the energy to say no.

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Star couldn't sleep.

And honestly, she didn't expect to be able to. Everything had gone to hell in less than a day. Globgor was more than likely gone at this point, along with the majority of her friends. Everyone she had left behind in Mewni was in danger. Ponyhead, Kelly, Janna- oh god, Janna. Janna was stuck in Mewni, away from her parents on Earth and she could be dead by now-

Stop. Breathe. Focus.

She attempted to calm her heart, which was pounding heavily in her chest. Janna was going to be alright. She wasn't a monster. Mina wouldn't hurt her, assuming she was even able to find her. Besides, it was Janna. She had gotten out of the stickiest situations all on her own. She would be fine, at least until they could go back for her.

Star's fingers curled into a fist as she once again thought of her mother's treachery. This, _all_ of this, was her fault. She may have not read through the Book of Spells completely, but she knew the gist of things. The Solarian Warriors were given their powers by Queen Solaria. Only a queen could give them magic like that, wand or no wand.

Moon Butterfly created the Solarian Warriors. Even after years of teaching Star herself that the magic that gave them their powers made them unstable. Not only were they a danger to everyone around them, but they were also a danger to themselves. All those warriors were going to turn out like Mina Loveberry.

Everyone was hurt because of her mother. And Star didn't know if she could ever forgive her for that.

With a sigh, Star pulled herself out of bed and traveled to the kitchen. Maybe having some of _Captain Blanche's Sugar Seeds _would help her fall asleep. Or at least relax a bit. She was just starting to pour a bowl when a familiar voice made itself known.

"Couldn't sleep?"

The blond jumped slightly, spinning around to face her boyfriend who seemed to emerge from the inky, dark night. "Oh, Marco!" she gasped. "I-I didn't see you there."

Marco, who was leaning against the threshold, nodded to the seeds in her hand. "Guess my hiding place isn't as good as I thought," he stated nonchalantly.

Star almost rolled her eyes. "Behind the dog food as always, Diaz," she responded. "Not very original."

He chuckled at her. "To be fair, there aren't many places to hide food here," he pointed out. He approached her slowly as if scared she would run away from him if he got too close. "Star, you know I'm here for you, right? Please talk to me."

She sighed as she took a moment to mull over his words. A part of her wanted to break down and confess everything, all her fears and doubts, and worries. But could she do that? She had confided everything in her mother and look where that had gotten her:

All her friends were dead or dying and she was left to raise an infant who was separated from her parents once again.

Star scolded herself for those thoughts. Marco wasn't like her mother. Marco didn't talk down to her or dismiss her or treat her like a child. Marco wasn't afraid to show how much he cared about her.

So, she forced herself to look into his eyes. His beautiful brown eyes which shone in nothing but love and concern for her. She couldn't shut him out. Not now. They needed one another, now more than ever. She wouldn't want him to hide from her, she couldn't do the same. "I-I just feel s-so and stupid," she admitted to him. "and sad and angry and-" She took a deep breath to stop herself from crying.

Instead, Star gripped the counter so hard that her knuckles turned white. "Is this normal?" she finally asked. "To feel this way?"

Marco didn't answer her right away. "However you're feeling is normal," he told her. He brought his hands up to her face, gently cupping your cheeks. "I... I can't even imagine what you're going through right now. I'm so sorry, Star."

She tilted her head in confusion. "Sorry?" she repeated. "What are you sorry for?"

"I'm sorry you have to go through this," he clarified. "When you came back to Earth to stay with us, you were so happy. And that made me happy because you went through a lot this year. It was good that you were taking time to yourself. But then all this happened and you aren't happy again and I'm sorry."

Star pressed her forehead against his, gazing into his eyes. "Marco, don't be sorry," she commanded gently. "It's not your fault my family's messed up. It's not your fault that my mom's gone AWOL. But you know what?"

"What?"

She gave him a quick peck to his lips. "I'm glad that you're here with me," she replied. "I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here with me."

Marco ran his fingers through her long, blond hair. "I always will be," he promised. He gave her a tender smile before kissing the crown of her head. "As long as you need me, Star, I'll always be there for you. I love you."

Somehow, Star managed to give him a smile. "I love you too."

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**I didn't really have to change anything after seeing "Cleaved," so that's a relief. My schedule is going to get a lot busier since I just got a job, so I wouldn't have really had the time to redo anything. Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Once a week, I'm writing all these chapters in advance to keep consistency. It's actually a lot more helpful than I thought it would be. Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review!**

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Star leaped out of bed as soon as she heard a shrill cry from another room in the house.

She raced out of her bedroom and sprinted down the hallway, nearly bumping into Marco on the way. She practically burst into the nursery where both Mariposa and Meteora were residing, the latter sitting up and crying. Star was at her crib in an instance, scoping the little hybrid into her arms and rocking her gently. "Hush, Meteora," she coaxed gently. "It's alright, I'm here. Are you hungry?"

The growling of the baby's stomach gave her an answer. Walking quietly as to not disrupt the sleeping Mariposa, Star exited the room and made her way toward the kitchen. "Anything, in particular, you want for breakfast?" she asked, though she knew that the baby couldn't respond. She placed the baby in the high chair that was kept at the Diaz household for her. "Well, I can't give you sugar seeds. I'll never hear the end of it from Marco."

Meteora gurgled her disappointment and the blond couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well, how about some baby food?" suggested Star. "I know it's not as good as sugar seeds, but it is good for you." She took a banana-flavored jar from the cabinets and opened it. "I wonder if you like bananas..."

"I'm sure she'd rather devour all of our souls again."

Star gasped and spun around on her heel, coming face-to-face with the one and only Hekapoo. Her eyes narrowed and her fists clenched at her sides at the sight of the Magic High Commission member. "You," she hissed. She felt her magic well inside her, urging her to attack the Scissors Enforcer, but she tamped it down. She didn't want to start a fight, especially not around the baby. She crossed her arms, moving to stand directly in between her and Meteora. "What do you want?"

Hekapoo crossed her own arms. "I guess this is the thanks I get for saving your butts," she muttered. "You're welcome, by the way."

At first, Star had no idea what she was talking about. But then she remembered the portals. They hadn't been working earlier, but they had worked for her and Marco. And her mother still hadn't followed her... "It was you," she realized. "You opened the portal. You stopped my mom from coming after us." She tilted her head in confusion. "Why?"

She shrugged. "I've never trusted Mina," she admitted. "She's crazy. And Omnitraxus and Rhombulus are acting like idiots. Moreso than usual."

"So, why would you help us?" asked Star. "I thought you hated Eclipsa and Meteora. Why not just leave Mewni?" Hekapoo was someone that looked out for herself, she knew that. This was something she never thought the woman would do. Helping them was a huge risk to herself.

Hekapoo rolled her eyes. "Trust me, I fully intend to do so," she replied. "I just thought you'd want to know that your little Earth friend is back home safe."

Star gasped. "Janna?" she demanded. Hope swelled in her chest at the thought of her friend escaping Mewni. "Is she okay? What happened?"

"I got to her just in time," Hekapoo explained. "The entire place was collapsing. I managed to pull her through a portal before she was crushed. I dropped her at her house."

The blond swallowed thickly. "A-And the others?" she dared to ask. Dread settled in her stomach. She had a feeling she already knew the answer to that question.

Hekapoo's one eye glanced downwards. "Gone," she confirmed, uncharacteristically quiet. "I'm sorry, Star."

Gone. Ponyhead, Kelly, and the others were all gone. Her best friend since they had been little was gone forever. Her friends, who had so valiantly volunteered to help her, had lost their lives. Star's anger flared back up again; as if Eclipsa's death wasn't enough, her mother had to take everyone else away from her too.

It was at that time that Marco chose to enter the kitchen, Mariposa snuggled in his arms. "Star, I hope you aren't feeding Meteora sugar- oh." His eyes settled on Hekapoo and, instead of lighting up with their usual excitement and hunger for adventure, regarded her warily.

But Star nodded at him. "It's okay, Marco," she assured him. "She's the one who helped us escape back in Monter Castle. She won't hurt us." Her gaze focused on the Scissors Enforcer. "Right, Hekapoo?"

If she was being completely honest, Star had never fancied Hekapoo all that much. The woman had been fine when she was younger, but as she grew, Star noticed things. How quick she was the shift the blame to someone else, how she never seemed to admit to what she had done wrong. And, alright, maybe a small part of her dislike was due to how much she and Marco got along. But really, the entire Magic High Commission had earned her repugnance with the whole Festivia situation.

The point was, she didn't trust the woman as far as she could throw her. One wrong move and wouldn't hesitate to make sure that she could never hurt them.

Hekapoo rolled her eyes again but nodded. "Yeah, whatever," she relented. "I'm leaving, anyway. I just came to tell you that your friend's alright." Before either of them could say anything, she opened a portal and jumped through it.

"Well, that was weird," commented Marco, moving to stand next to his girlfriend. He wrapped an arm around her and gently kissed the side of her head. "What did she want?"

"She saved Janna and took her home," Star told him. She leaned into him slightly, pressing her cheek against his.

He tensed slightly but forced himself to relax. "Yeah? That's good."

She nodded. "But I don't trust her," she nodded.

"Me neither," Marco admitted, which surprised her a bit. He had never really hidden his fondness for Hekapoo, much to her chagrin. To hear him say those words meant a lot to her.

"We should go check on Janna today," Star said. She wanted to make sure her friend was alright, really alright. Not only that, but she wanted to apologize for leaving her. She wanted her to know that she hadn't meant to, that she would never intentionally leave her behind.

She just hoped Janna could find it in her heart to forgive her.

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Star and Marco made their way to the Ordonia house later that morning, Meteora and Mariposa in a dual carriage. They waited at the front door while Mrs. Ordonia went to get their friend. Star tapped the stroller's handle nervously, her insides feeling more than a little squeamish. She couldn't help but fear Janna's reaction to them. Would she be angry that they left her? Would she never want to see them again due to the sheer betrayal she felt?

"Hey," coaxed Marco softly, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder. "It's Janna. She won't be angry."

Star's lips formed a thin line. "I hope you're right."

Before he could respond, the door opened. In the threshold stood a nonchalant Janna. Her hat was singed and her sweater was torn but other than that she looked unharmed. She looked surprised to see them standing there. "Star, Marco," she acknowledged.

Star managed to smile. "Janna Banana," she greeted. She moved forward to take the girl's shoulders. Her heart seemed to rush with happiness and relief to see her there. In fact, she thought she was going to burst into tears of joy right there. "I-I'm so sorry, Janna. We didn't mean to leave you. I-I promise. I-"

Janna cut her off with a hug.

Immediately, Star hugged her back. There was still a lot going on and most of her friends were dead, but she was glad that Janna was okay. There was at least one bright spot in this mess.

"It's alright, Star," Janna reassured her. "I get it, but I need you to tell me what happened."

Star pulled away. "Janna, everything is awful," she confessed. From there, she launched into the entire story; from her mother's betrayal, Eclipsa's death, and finally escaping to Earth with the help of Hekapoo.

By the time she finished, Janna was staring at her with wide eyes. "So your mom was the one who made those Solarian Warriors?" she clarified. "And she killed Eclipsa? Dude, that's messed up."

Marco glared at her, but Star nodded. "It is," she agreed. "Gee, Janna, I don't know what I'm supposed to do now."

Janna raised an eyebrow. "Well, isn't it obvious? We have to go back to Mewni and fight Mina's army and your power hungry mama." She tilted her head as she saw her two friends share a look. "God, what is it you two?"

Star's eyes darted to the babies before focusing on her friend again. "Janna, I don't think we can go back to Mewni," she said quietly. "At least, not with Meteora. If Mina finds her, she'll kill her. I promised Eclipsa I would protect her."

Janna looked at them incredulously. "Then leave her with your parents or something!" she exclaimed. "You guys can't just turn your back on Mewni!"

"We aren't," Marco intervened sharply. "We just need to figure some things out first, okay? We'll go back and get rid of the Solarians, but we need a plan first."

Suddenly, Janna grabbed Marco by his shirt and all but slammed him into the door. Star was so shocked that she stayed in place, her feet cemented to the ground. "You listen to me, Diaz, and you listen good," she hissed at him. It was the complete opposite of how Janna usually acted and she had to wonder what happened in the time they were separated. "I just watched a man die yesterday. I listened to his final words on his goddamn deathbed! All of our friends gave their lives for Mewni and you have the nerve to stand there and tell me that you're waiting to figure out a plan?"

Star finally came back to her senses. "Janna, get off of him!" she commanded. She was vaguely aware of both babies starting to cry from all the tension around the group. "I know you're upset, but we're trying our best here!"

Janna rolled her eyes but did as she said. "I don't know about you two, but I'm going back," she insisted. "If we don't do anything, everyone died for nothing."

Star put her hands on her shoulders. "Janna," she pleaded. "I know that, okay? I know I dragged you all into this and I'm sorry. But if we just rush over to Mewni, we'll be killed too. And then their sacrifices really will be in vain because there'll be no one left to protect the kingdom."

Understanding seemed so wash over Janna as the tension left her shoulders. "Y-You're right," she agreed. "I'm sorry. It's just-" She wiped away a stray tear rolling down her face. "I-I was with them all when they died. Quirky went first. Then, Talon and Ponyhead and-" She choked on a concealed sob. "Kelly was last. S-She wanted me to tell both of you that she was sorry that she wasn't the warrior Mewni needed."

By the time she finished, Star had tears streaming down her own face. "We'll avenge them," she promised. "All of them. We'll fight Mina and my mom with everything we have if we have to."

And Star fully intended to keep that promise.

OoOoOo

Star watched the babies play with a smile on her face. They got along so well, even more so than before they were stuck in the Neverzone. She supposed that was to be expected. They had grown up like sisters there. Even if they didn't remember, the two of them always would be sisters. Nothing could ever change that.

Marco was sitting next to her, his arms draped over his shoulders as she leaned into his chest. His fingers threaded through her long blond hair and it served to relax her- if only a little bit.

But none of this changed the situation they were in. Protecting Meteora was probably her number one priority at the moment, but she couldn't turn her back on all the monster that Mina was threatening. Not to mention their friends who had given their lives for Mewni. "Marco, we have to go back," she told her quietly.

Marco's hand stopped playing with her hair and she heard him sigh. "I know," he replied. "But we need a plan first. You know that."

They were also horribly outnumbered, even more so than last time. Now, it was just her, Marco, and Janna against a hundred Solarian Warriors. The three of them probably wouldn't even make a dent.

Unless...

"I think that Solaria's annihilation spell might work," she spoke up. She winced at her own words as she remembered the damage it caused. But it looked like it was their only option. It was either that or allow the Solarian Warriors to keep terrorizing monsters and the rest of Mewni. Either way, things were getting destroyed.

She felt Marco tense. "But you said that it was too dangerous," he reminded her. "And can you even do that spell?"

Star shrugged. "I saw Eclipsa do it," she pointed out. "I remember her exact words. And Baby said that we were on the same level in magic. But I don't think I'll do it right, not without the Book of Spells, which-"

"Which is in Monster Castle," finished Marco. "So, basically, we're screwed."

She sighed. "Pretty much."

Could this get any worse?

OoOoOo

**I'm actually very fond of the part with Janna. Quirky's death affected her, but seeing her friend die around her... That's huge. And I'm sorry if it feels like I just wrote everyone off, but I promise that there's a reason for that. Also, I am trying to redeem Hekapoo, but she's not quite there yet. Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**So, this story blew up out of nowhere. I was genuinely surprised at the attention it's received. Thank you all for following, favoring, and reviewing! Please enjoy the chapter!**

OoOoOo

_I call the spell which has no name,  
__My mother's gift with which she reigned  
__Eclipse my heart with rightful power,  
__Stand before the Queen and cower_

Star stared at the words on the paper, tilting her head to the side. "No, that doesn't look right," she muttered to herself, erasing the second line. "Solaria isn't my mom. Maybe I can just replace 'My mother's' with 'Solaria's.'" She groaned, all but slamming her face onto the table. Why did she get the feeling that this wasn't going to work? Eclipsa had been really powerful, could she ever live up to that? Would she be a suitable substitute to cast the spell?

"I'm not even a queen yet," she murmured miserably. "What if I don't have the power to cast this?"

Marco suddenly burst into the room, holding a tray of gooey, cheesy nachos. Both Meteora and Mariposa were on his shoulders. "Who wants nachos?" he asked, presenting them to her.

Star frowned at him, lifting her head up to look at him. "I'm not hungry," she mumbled, gently pushing the tray away.

Meteora promptly clambered off Marco's shoulder and placed herself on Star's lap. "Stah ee!" she exclaimed, pointing to the tray. Mariposa merely giggled at her companion's antics.

Marco didn't even try to hide the triumphant smirk on his face. "I think Meteora wants you to eat as much as I do," he stated arrogantly.

Star rolled her eyes, but complied with their wishes, taking one of the cheese-covered chips and nibbling on it. "Didn't Janna hypnotize you to not like nachos?" she reminded him. That had promptly put an end to their weekly Nacho Night, much to her disappointment. Still, she hadn't pestered him on it. She still never ate broccoli or asparagus, despite her mother's constant pleas.

He shrugged. "I had her reverse it," he told her. "I got tired of being sick whenever I saw chips and cheese together."

She nodded, finishing her chip and reaching for another one. She had to admit; Marco's nachos were pretty freaking good. "She's changed," she commented nonchalantly.

Of course, she was referring to Janna. Seeing all their friends die had really changed her, as it would change anyone. But even before then, Star had noticed a shift in attitude from her usually laid back friend. No one had taken what she said seriously when she'd told them that she couldn't remember how she got to Mewni that day. They had figured that Janna had been playing her usual mind games.

But no, Janna had been deadly serious. And now, she was even more serious. And everything was a mess because Star had been the one to do that to her. If Janna had never met her, she wouldn't have had to go through that. She'd be perfectly content in her little bubble of ignorance.

It seemed like she tainted everyone around her. Marco, Janna- hell, even little Mariposa had been affected! Getting stuck in the Neverzone would never have happened had it not been for Star and her dysfunctional family.

It was moments like these when she pondered leaving the Diaz household and Echo Creek behind. Clearly, she was a danger to them all. She had gotten Marco kidnapped before, had caused damage around town, and had put innocent people in danger. Maybe it would be better if she took Meteora and left, finding them somewhere quiet to lay low and allow the baby to grow up safe and happy.

But then she reminded herself that that wouldn't work. Because she needed to go back. If she wanted everyone's sacrifice to mean something, she would have to try her hardest to take Mina and her mother down.

Marco nodded, setting the nachos down on her desk. "She has," he replied, settling on her bed. "I never thought I'd see the day when Janna was this upset about something. She's usually so..."

"Chill?" guessed Star. She began to absentmindedly stroke Meteora's hair, the purple tuft soft against her fingers.

"I was going to say undisturbed," he told her. "I guess we've all changed, though."

"Yeah, we have," she agreed. Though, she wasn't entirely sure if that was a good thing. She leaned down and kissed Meteora on the head. "Do you think it's a good idea? Leaving her with your parents while we go back to Mewni as Janna said?"

"Well, I know they'd be happy to take her," Marco responded. "They fawn over her every time she's here."

Star sighed. "But what if... we don't come back?" she asked. The possibility had been nagging at her ever since she had faced off against that first Solarian Warrior. All of their friends were dead. Who was to say that the same couldn't happen to them?

He got up and stood behind her chair, wrapping his arms around her from behind. "Then we know that she'll grow up safe and happy," he assured her. "Just like Eclipsa and Globgor wanted."

She leaned into his embrace. "You're right," she said. "Then again, you usually are right."

Marco chuckled into her hair. "Glad you think so. Now, why don't we get ready? Janna's gonna be here and something tells me that she's gonna get straight to business."

"No Jannanigans this time," Star remarked.

OoOoOo

"So, first thing's first," announced Janna as she walked through the door. As predicted, she was wasting no time. Star hadn't expected her to and, for some reason, she was grateful for it. She and Marco had accepted that they were at a standstill, but she hadn't. No, Janna Ordonia wasn't going to mince words, she was going to avenge their fallen friends. "How are we getting to Mewni?"

"Well, we'll have to somehow get into contact with Hekapoo," Marco told them. "She managed all the portals. She'd be our best bet in getting off Earth and onto Mewni."

Star almost rolled her eyes. "Should be easy," she muttered sarcastically. If Hekapoo didn't want to be found, then she wasn't going to be found. It was that simple. "But I guess she is our only option. The Realm of Magic is... unstable at the moment."

She didn't remember everything that had happened, she but recalled bits and pieces. The tainted black, murky water. The monstrous- _actually_ monstrous- black unicorn running around the place. Baby unicorns corrupted with its essence. They couldn't risk going back, not with the state it was in. Besides, they had all been taken to different places last time. They couldn't afford to be separated like that again.

"When we do get there, I think I can take Mina out," she continued. "If I use that spell that Eclipsa did on Mina, it should be able to break the resolve of the other Solarian Warriors."

Take down the leader and you've won half the war.

People often mistook her optimistic demeanor and outspoken friendliness for sheer ignorance and harmlessness. That was their first mistake. Because even though she preferred to be happy, she had been trained by the royal guards of Mewni themselves. She was a war strategist and a warrior- and she would do whatever it took to protect her kingdom.

Janna nodded her approval, but Marco still looked uncertain. "Star-"

Star held up a hand to stop him. "I know what I said before," she stated. "but things were different back then. I think... I think that Eclipsa was right. Sometimes, hard choices are necessary. That spell might be our only option."

He still seemed uncomfortable, but she could tell that she had his support.

Now, how to get in touch with Hekapoo...

OoOoOo

"I. KNOW. YOU. CAN. HEAR. ME. OPEN. UP!"

"I don't think that's working," Marco deadpanned from the other side of the room.

Star, who was in her Butterfly Form, glared at him. "Well, I'm out of options," she huffed. "You know her better than I do, you know that she'll keep hiding until it's safe to come out." She held her tongue, refraining from calling Hekapoo a coward. Star certainly thought she was, but she knew that Marco held her in high regard. She didn't want to upset him, especially at a time like this.

Marco glared back but didn't say anything else on the matter as he pulled out his own scissors. "Why don't you let me try?" he asked. He began to cut another portal when an orange one appeared in between them.

Hekapoo stepped out, an irate look on her face. "Alright, already!" she snapped at them. "You got my attention, now what do you want?"

Star stepped forward as she dropped her Butterfly Form, her back straight and her shoulders squared. "We want you to take us to Mewni," she commanded, her voice holding the strength and poise of a true queen.

But Hekapoo had never been one to shy away from Star Butterfly. "And why should I?" she retorted. "I already helped you, Star! Besides, you'll all just get yourselves killed, anyway."

Star's hands went to her hips, her eyes narrowed in haughtiness. "The reason you helped us, Hekapoo, wasn't for us," she grounded out. Her anger swelled inside her, her magic rolling off her in waves. She watched in satisfaction as the woman in front of her moved back. "You did it because you felt guilty. Because you knew you were wrong for helping Mina and my mom. Because you knew that you and the other Commission members only made a move against Eclipsa for your own validation."

Her words were harsh, yes, but she knew they were true. Besides, she had lost Eclipsa and all her other friends and had been betrayed by her own mother. Hekapoo could take a few mean words.

The Scissors Enforcer staggered a bit, her face flushed with embarrassment. But she crossed her arms and scoffed. "Ugh, fine!" She handed Star her scissors. "Take them. Just don't come crying back to me when Mina hands you your asses."

Star nodded. "Thank you." She might not have liked Hekapoo, but she would give gratitude when it was due.

Hekapoo rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She took out another pair and left, probably to go hide in the Neverzone or something. Honestly, she didn't really care.

All that mattered now was that they had a way back to Mewni.

OoOoOo

"Thank you for watching Meteora for me."

Angie smiled warmly at her. "Of course, sweetheart," she promised. "She's a joy to have around the house, we absolutely adore her. Besides, I don't think Mariposa would ever forgive us if we didn't." She took Star's cheek in her hand, gently caressing her cheek mark. "Now, come back soon, you hear? All of you. We want all of our kids back home, safe and sound."

Star nodded. "I'll get Marco and Janna home safe," she swore. And she would. Whatever happened to her, she would make sure that her friends got to go home. She'd never forgive herself if something happened to them.

The green-eyed woman frowned at her. "Star, I'm talking about you too," she explained. "Come home safe, alright? Promise me."

Star was sure that she couldn't promise this but nodded anyway. "Okay," she agreed.

Angie smiled and kissed her on the head. "Thank you," she said. And if you have a chance, try talking with your mother. Maybe you'll see things from her point of view."

Well, Star doubted that, but she would never say this to the woman in front of her. So, she merely nodded. "I'll try." She kissed Meteora on the cheek. "I love you, Meteora, okay?" Before her death, Eclipsa had been talking about making her the baby's godmother because of how fond the hybrid was of her. She loved Star, and Star most certainly loved her. "I... I'm going to try my best to come back to you, okay?" She didn't want the baby to lose another person in her life.

She pulled away to stand in front of the portal with Marco and Janna, who had both borrowed some of Star's spare armor and weapons from her closet. "Are we ready?" she asked them.

Janna nodded. "Always."

Marco mimicked her actions. "Ready as I'll ever be."

"Then let's go." Without a moment of hesitation, they stepped through the portal.

OoOoOo

**Like I said, I'm working on Hekapoo's redemption, but it will be a long road. Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Lmao, I almost posted the wrong chapter. Could you imagine? To quote Eclipsa, "That would be bad for all of us." Anyway, please enjoy the chapter!**

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As soon as Star, Marco, and Janna stepped through the portal, they were surrounded by an armada of Solarian Warriors.

Mina was at the helm, Moon standing in the palm of her gigantic armor. Her mother was dressed in her usual battle attire, her eyebrow raised in that typical diplomatic way. When she was younger, that facial expression used to bother Star. She had constantly felt like she was under scrutiny, that nothing she did would impress her mother. Now, it only served to enrage her. How dare her mother stand there on her high horse as if she had done nothing wrong; as if she hadn't killed Eclipsa and left Meteora an orphan.

Perhaps it was time to knock Moon Butterfly down a few pegs.

"Star," Moon began stoically, staring down at her with the calm, collected facade that she used on her subjects. "it's time to stop this nonsense." She held her hand out expectantly. "Give me the wand."

Star glared back up at her mother, not intimidated by her in the slightest. The time of being afraid of her mother had run its course a long time ago. "Never," she spat out. "Eclipsa gave it to me; you don't have the right to use it."

Mina's helmet creaked open and the Solarian Warrior flew out, her overly muscular arms crossed over her chest. "That's no way to talk to the queen," she practically growled. "If I were you, I'd have more respect or-" She grabbed hold of her sword. "I'll have to run this right through ya."

Moon raised her hand placatingly. "That won't be necessary, Mina," she assured her. She morphed into her Butterfly Form before using it to glide down to her daughter. She kept her distance but attempted to lift her arms in a non-threatening way. "Star, dear, I'm not the enemy here."

Star glared back. "You're not the enemy?" she repeated incredulously. She had been holding everything in for the past few days and was more than ready to get it off her chest. "Then who is, Mom?" She gestured around them to Monstertown, which was now all but in ruins. "Because you created the Solarian Warriors. You let them cause all of this."

"Star-" Moon tried, but her daughter wasn't done.

"How, Mom?" Star interrupted. "How is this better than how Eclipsa and Globgor were ruling?" Tears welled in her eyes as the thought of her fallen friends, but she held them back. She would no cry in front of her mother. "Sure, they weren't perfect, but no one is. They were trying and people were accepting them."

In all honesty, she should have seen it coming. Her mother was a control freak; if something wasn't to her liking, she would take it over- by force if she had to. She would tear it apart and rebuild it until it was up to her standards. And it had been clear that Eclipsa being queen had displeased her greatly.

Her fingers curled into fists at her side as anger quickly replaced her sadness. "But that wasn't good enough for you," she continued. " You had to take over and ruin everything, just like always. You know-"

Star suddenly stopped talking. She looked around, examining her surroundings. Something was off; why was her mother even here? They were far away from Monstertown and nowhere near Butterfly Castle. So, why had her mother been waiting for them here with an entire armada-

Oh.

Oh no.

Star took a step backward, leaning towards Marco and Janna. "We have to go," she said low enough so that only they could hear her. She couldn't believe that she had been this stupid. "Now."

"What?" asked Janna, confusion evident on her face. "Why?"

But Marco's eyes flashed with realization. "It's a trap," he breathed back. "Hekapoo set us up."

However, Moon seemed to realize they had discovered her snare. "Don't let them leave!" she shouted to her warriors. "Capture them, but I don't want them harmed!"

It was too late, they couldn't walk away from this. She would have to act fast.

Star morphed into her own Butterfly Form and rose up above her mother. She could feel her magic run through her veins, Eclipsa's magic joining it. It was as if she was right there with her, giving Star her blessing. And that gave her the courage to go through with it. Her eyes and cheek marks lit up, glowing a blinding white. She raised her wand.

"Star?" asked Moon from the ground. "Star, what are you doing?"

_I call the spell that has no name,_  
_Solaria's gift with which she reigned_

"No!" shouted her mother. True fear dripped from her voice and that gave her a sort of sick satisfaction. "Star Butterfly, stop that this instant!"

_Eclipse my heart with rightful power,_  
_Stand before the Queen and-!_

Suddenly, Star felt a searing pain rush across her chest. She gasped, her wand slipping from her hands as her Butterfly Form involuntarily dropped. Her eyes drooped closed as her body began to plummet toward the ground.

"STAR!" Someone shouted her name, but she couldn't tell who it was. Marco? Her mother, maybe? She didn't know. All she knew was that she had failed. She had failed Marco, Janna, Meteora, and- most importantly- she had failed Eclipsa.

This was the last thing on her mind as her mind slipped into black nothingness.

OoOoOo

The first thing that Star noticed when she woke up was that she couldn't move.

Her wrists and ankles were bound to the bed she was laying in. Try as she might, she couldn't seem to break free of them. "What the- what the heck are these things made of?" she fulminated to herself. She tried to morph into her Butterfly Form but found that she couldn't. Now, she was really starting to panic; she had been able to get through her chains easily when she had asked Marco to lock her up. So what was the problem now?

"You won't get through those, they're made of Nth Metal."

Star turned to see her mother standing in the doorway, still wearing her battle armor. However, instead of her usual diplomatic facade, she was surprised that the woman looked a little guilty.

But Star ignored this as she glared up at her. "So, I'm a prisoner now?" she snapped, gesturing to her chains. She felt like one of the criminals that were constantly being hunted down by the knights and that made her angry, but also sad; had her relationship with her mother fallen that far?

Moon glared back at her. "You left me no choice, Star," she responded. "What were you thinking, using a spell like that? You could have seriously hurt someone; I had to restrain your magic somehow!"

Star scoffed. "I left you no choice?" she retorted. "Mom, you created Solarian Warriors! That is messed up on so many different levels!"

Her mother's gaze hardened. "I did what I had to for Mewni," she hissed. "For you. Why can't you understand that?"

Star held up her chains to her mother's face the best she could. "Doing this for me?" she echoed. Apparently, locking her away like an animal was what was best for her. "Are you sure about that, Mom?"

Moon looked like she wanted to argue further, but sighed instead. "Look, Star, I know you trusted Eclipsa, I trusted her once too. Look where that got me."

Star felt a dagger of anger and sadness and guilt pierce her heart. "Don't!" she snapped at her mother, making the older woman flinch back slightly. "Don't talk to me about Eclipsa! Not after everything that you did to her and Globgor and-!" She took a deep breath to calm herself. "What did Eclipsa even do to you? The two of you didn't talk after you left Monster Castle!"

It had actually been nagging at her for a while. Why did her mother betray them? What had been her motive? Sure, she didn't like that Eclipsa had been queen or how she was ruling, but she wouldn't have done something as drastic as making a plan to overthrow her. What, exactly, had made her resort to this?

Moon's own anger was evident on her face. "She was the reason I was lost in the Magic Dimension!" she seethed. "She was the reason I was separated from you! Have you forgotten that, Star?"

Well, the could understand her mother's anger; at least a bit. If she had been separated from her daughter, she would have been angry at the person who caused it. But had her mother forgotten what Eclipsa had gone through? Had she forgotten that Eclipsa had been crystalized for being in love and having a family of her own?

"Because you were trying to kill her daughter!" riposted Star. "Mom, she was separated from Meteora for hundreds of years! She didn't want to lose her again!" She took a deep breath, trying to recenter herself. She looked up at her mother sadly. "Wouldn't you stop someone from killing me? No matter what?"

Moon hesitated and Star knew she had her answer. "That's what I-"

"I would."

Surprised, she turned her eyes back to her mother. "What?"

"I would probably destroy anyone who would dare to put you in danger," Moon continued as if she hadn't heard her. "That was why Eclipsa needed to be overthrown. Star, baby, you could have lost your life, fighting Meteora and I couldn't be there to protect you because of her. And even though she stopped Meteora, I was still stuck in the Magic Dimension because of what she did. I was still apart from you."

Well, that was a bit hypocritical, now wasn't it?

Star sighed. "Mom, who was the one who sent me to Earth?" she reminded her. She hadn't let anyone know this at the time, but being hauled off to Earth at fourteen had hurt. Her mother would have rather had her dimensions away then take the time to train and teach her. Even though she didn't regret it- it had been how she had met the love of her life, after all- she didn't think she would ever fully heal from that hurt. "You weren't sent to another dimension to use your wand and neither was any other queen. If you wanted to be with me, you wouldn't have sent me away."

"I just wanted you to be safe!" Moon maintained.

The blond shook her head. "Then why did you blast me out of the sky?" she asked. She knew it hadn't been any of the Solarian Warriors- she had been focused solely on them. Her mother had been the only one she had taken her eyes off. "Why am I chained to this bed?"

"I-"

"What did you hit me with, anyway?" Star cut her off. She'd never felt anything like it before and she didn't think it was one of her mother's. Perhaps it belonged to a past queen? Whatever it was, it had hurt like hell. She was sure that she'd never been in so much pain before.

Moon had the decency to flush with slight guilt. "Star, that was an accident," she explained. "When I saw you using that spell, I got so scared. I didn't want you to end up like _her_."

Star glared at her. "Eclipsa was the bravest woman I've ever met," she grounded out. How dare her mother stand her and speak on Eclipsa's name; after all she had done! "Besides, that isn't even her spell. It's Solaria's."

Moon seemed to give up and sighed, moving away from the bed. "I can see that nothing will change your mind," she concluded, making her way toward the door. "Get some rest, Star, and we'll talk tomorrow morning." She then left, closing the door behind her.

The blond fought against her chains. "Mom, wait!" she shouted. As much as she detested her mother at the moment, she didn't want to be alone. Besides, she still had questions. For example, where her friends were. "Come back! Where are Marco and Janna? Mom!"

But Star received no answer. Her mother was gone and she was on her own; just like always.

OoOoOo

**I know, I _know_. Hekapoo fans, please don't kill me. I promise she gets better. Like I said, it's a long road ahead. Besides, she won't be completely unjustified in her actions. Of course, Star will be mad. Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Well, I got my groove back! Please enjoy!**

OoOoOo

When Star woke up the next morning, she was still chained to her bed. Only this time, she simply didn't have the energy to try to break free. It seemed like the chains weighed heavily on not only her body but on her magic as well; she felt like they were consuming every ounce of magic in her and she hoped that no one else would ever have to go through this. She wouldn't wish this on her worst enemy.

As she laid there, she wondered one thing: Why? Why would her mother do this to her? What was the point of all this? What in Mewni's name was she planning to do with her? Was she going to keep her locked up forever?

God, what if she was going to go after Meteora? Now that she knew that Hekapoo had betrayed them, she knew that if her mother wanted to, she could go to Earth and take her.

The door creaked open and Moon once again stood in the threshold. "Good morning, darling," she greeted quietly, approaching the bed. "Did you sleep well?"

Star glared back at her, anger rushing through her veins. Had her mother really just asked her that? "You tell me, Mom," she bit out, holding up her chained wrists. "What are these things, anyway?"

Moon sighed. "Something that will keep you restrained until I'm done," she answered, holding up the wand.

Fear suddenly overcame her fear as she eyed the wand in her mother's hand. Of course, she had seen the blue crystal-heart gem dozens of times throughout her childhood, but there was something unsettling about it now. Just what was her mother planning? "Mom, what are you doing?" she asked, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice.

"Fixing our family," Moon answered cryptically. "I've been spending the last few days on perfecting this spell, Star. It won't hurt a bit." She pressed the relic to her daughter's forehead. "Try to relax, dear."

Star somehow found the strength to begin to struggle against her bonds again. She didn't know what her mother was going to do, but she knew it wasn't going to be good. "Mom, stop!" she ordered. Moon ignored her as her cheek marks began to glow white.

Memories from the past,

Be gone at long last

Let me into her mind,

To remove an influence unrefined

It was as her mother spoke these words that Star realized what she was doing. "NO!" cried the blond. But it was too late. There was a flash of white light before everything went black.

OoOoOo

She was surrounded by nothingness.

Star looked around the space, besieged by nothing by inky blackness. She raised her hands to her temples, a searing pain suddenly shooting through her head. "Ow," she hissed. God, she was so confused. "What's going on? Where am I?" The last thing she remembered was her mother casting that spell on her. But that would mean- She gasped. "Am I... inside my own mind?"

"More or less, my dear."

That wasn't her mother's voice. Star turned around and her eyes went wide at who she saw standing in front of her; the woman was wearing her usual dress, but she didn't have her hat on and her teal hair was down. Her gloves were also off, showing off her black-stained hands. She was giving her that calm, knowing smile that she had become so accustomed to.

"E-Eclipsa!" breathed Star. Without another second of hesitation, she launched herself into the older woman's arms. Tears leaked out of her eyes, but she didn't bother to wipe them. She kept her head nestled into the woman's neck as she sobbed.

"Shh," soothed Eclipsa. "It's alright, dear. I'm here."

Star pulled away, wiping her tears away. "I-I don't understand," she whimpered. "H-How are you here?"

Eclipsa cupped her cheeks, her thumbs caressing her cheek marks. "Do you remember when I went into your mind to find the Book of Spells?" she asked. At the blonde's nod, she continued, "Well, whenever I go into someone's mind, a part of me resides there until I take it out." She smiled sadly. "I... never really had the chance to take this part of me out of you."

Star sniffed; perhaps she should be angry at the woman in front of her, but she couldn't bring herself to be. She was just so relieved to see her that she couldn't care less about her leaving a piece of her in her mind. In fact, she was angrier with herself at the moment. "Eclipsa, I'm sorry," she muttered sadly. "I failed you."

Eclipsa looked affronted by this. "Star, you haven't failed me at all," she assured her.

"B-But I left Meteora!" protested Star. For all she knew, her mother had already gone to Earth and taken her while she was asleep. "And I let my mom take the kingdom! I did fail you!"

The woman shook her head. "Star, I have never been more proud of you," she responded. "I've been watching you the whole time, remember? I saw how you took care of my daughter. I saw how brave you were, going back to Mewni to fight your mother. I felt how scared you were to use my mother's Annihilation Spell, but you tried anyway. You are the bravest woman I've ever had the pleasure of knowing."

Star sniffed, wiping her face again. "Thanks, Eclipsa," she replied tearfully. Despite this, she managed to smile. "I... I really needed this." She thought for a moment. "Hey, do you know what spell my mom's using?"

Eclipsa's mouth formed a thin line. "She's trying to erase the memory of us ever meeting," she answered darkly.

The blond gasped again. "She's what?!" she exclaimed, outraged. She got that her mother was angry and resentful toward the Queen of Darkness, but this was taking things too far. Though, to be fair, killing her had been way over the line too. "Eclipsa, we have to stop her!"

"I've been holding off her intrusion," Eclipsa revealed. "That's why we're here right now. But I need your held to push her out completely." She offered a hand to her.

Star took it without hesitation. The cheek marks on both women began to glow as the older of the two started to chant the spell.

There's a presence that does not belong,

This intruder shall not pass along

The invader is to be sent away,

And regret this trespassing for the rest of their days

There was a flash once the last word left Eclipsa's mouth. It seemed that the area around them began to shake and Star held onto the Queen of Darkness for support. "Whoa!" she blurted. "What's happening?"

Eclipsa smiled at her. "Your mind is currently in the process of kicking Moon out of your head," she explained. She tucked a piece of golden hair behind her ear. "Which means it's time for you to wake up."

"Wait!" opposed Star. She didn't want to leave the woman so soon; she had just gotten the chance to see her again! "Can I... come back?"

Eclipsa laughed at her. "Dear, it's your head," she reminded her. "But to answer your question, yes. You can visit me here again if you'd like. I'll be here." She lovingly kissed Star's forehead. "But for now, you have to go."

Star nodded, giving the woman one last hug. "Bye, Eclipsa."

"Goodbye, sweetie."

OoOoOo

Star's eyes snapped open just in time to see her mother fall to the ground with an agonizing cry. Moon seemed to writhe in pain, her hands clenching her hair. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she was curled into a ball. She was absolutely defenseless, unable to stop her or even stand up herself. It would be the perfect time to escape...

If she wasn't chained down.

"Star!" snapped Moon with a glare, crawling to her feet with the support of the bedpost. "What... what did you do?"

She met her mother with her own steely gaze. "I pushed you out of my head," she answered smugly. She knew that she shouldn't taunt her mother- who was now in possession of the wand- but she couldn't help herself. It was just too satisfying.

"How?" Moon demanded.

"Eclipsa," responded Star simply. She knew that her reply would hurt her mother the most and that was what she was going for. She deserved it. She deserved to be angry and sad and hurt because...

Because Star was hurt. How could her own mother attempt to go into her head and erase her memories? It was disgusting, revolting even. The woman in front of her truly felt like a stranger.

"Star, I was trying to fix-!"

"Fix what?" Star bit out. "Were you trying to fix me? Or were you trying to cover up your mistake?" Butterflies were good for that; they were good for pushing things under the rug. After all, Eclipsa and Meteora had both been thrown away like they were nothing. It was the way they stayed in power.

"I was trying to fix our family," finished Moon. She looked at her daughter sadly. "I figured that if I erased Eclipsa from your mind, you wouldn't be so angry with me anymore."

"Angry with you?" echoed Star. Her rage toward her mother seemed to grow with every word that came out of the woman's mouth. "Mom, angry isn't even the word for how I feel right now! You betrayed me and Eclipsa, killed Eclipsa, and now I'm chained to a goddamn bed while you just tried to take away my memories!" She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Mom, it doesn't matter if I'm upset with you or not. What matters is that what you did was wrong."

Moon's gaze hardened slightly. "Star, I did what I had to for my people!" she defended. "Do you know how many Mewmans were kicked out of their homes because of Eclipsa? Families with children were left homeless because she gave them to monsters!"

Star groaned. "Because they belonged to monsters in the first place!" she reminded her. "Did you ever think that, maybe, we wouldn't be in this mess if all the queens of the past hadn't treated them so horribly!" She crossed her arms. "That includes you, Mom!"

Her mother's expression contorted into pure rage. "As I recall, you were the one blasting them with your wand a few years ago!" she snapped. "Star, have you forgotten that they killed my mother?"

No, Star hadn't forgotten that and she did feel bad for her mother. But the truth of the matter was that the Magic High Commission crystalized Eclipsa and Globgor for being in love. They had taken Meteora away from them, leaving her to suffer for three hundred years. Solaria had invented a literal Annihilation Spell for crying out loud! It sounded to her like they were the real monsters.

Star raised an eyebrow. "So because one monster was evil, they all are?" she demanded. "If that's the case, then all Butterflies are as crazy as Crescenta, or as lazy as Dirhennia."

"Star Butterfly, those are our ancestors!" Moon hissed at her.

"But you had no problem talking bad about Eclipsa when we thought she was our great-great-something grandma," the blond riposted.

Moon sighed. "Look-"

But before she could continue, a door swung open and smoke suddenly filled the room. Moon and Star coughed and before the blond knew what was happening, her chains were sliced clean off and her mother dropped to the floor. Seeing her chance, she leaped up from her bed and onto her feet. Through the smoke, she was able to make out two familiar figures.

Star beamed. "Marco!" she exclaimed. "Janna!" She ran and pulled them both into a hug. "You guys are okay!"

Janna smirked. "You thought we wouldn't be?" Her hat was torn and there was a scratch on her face, but other than that she looked fine. "I'm insulted."

Marco kissed the top of her head. "Nothing could keep me from you, Princesa," he vowed.

Star blushed at his words but tilted her head in confusion. "But how did you guys escape?" she asked.

He suddenly looked guilty as he averted his eyes. "We, uh, had a little help..." he admitted. "Just don't get mad, okay?"

"Uh, I hate to be that person, but if we don't get out of here, we're all gonna die!" snapped a familiar voice.

Star bristled in anger when Hekapoo's figure became apparent through the smoke. "Hekapoo?" she hissed angrily. "You're trusting the person who betrayed us?"

Marco sighed. "It's more complicated than that," he told her. "I'll explain later, okay? Right now, we have to get out of here!"

She groaned. "Fine!" she relented. She searched the room before she finally found what she was looking for. Star grabbed the wand and felt a wave of relief as it morphed back into her wand. She would never admit it, but a part of her missed using it.

"Let's go," she ordered. Hekapoo nodded and opened a portal. The four of them wasted no time crossing through it.

OoOoOo

**Hope you liked it and please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Me: *Uses Marco as a shield* Yes, yes, I KNOW I've been MIA for months now. But to be honest, I've had a few chapters written for a while now. The problem is, I'm stuck somewhere ahead and I don't know how I'm going to work with it. But this chapter doesn't misplace anything, so here you go! To be honest, I don't know why I didn't post it in the first place... Please enjoy!**

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The four of them ended up in the rain, standing up to their shins in the mud. Looking around, Star saw that it was a swamp-like area, but it was one she didn't recognize. And that was strange because she and Marco had been almost everywhere. They definitely weren't in Mewni anymore, she knew that terrain like the back of her hand, no matter what the weather around her was.

"Whoa," commented Janna. She was the first one to speak. "Where are we?"

Hekapoo smirked. "A place that will solve all our problems," she answered cryptically. She walked forward before whistling. Instantly, a door rose above the mud, a man who resembled something of a bouncer next to it. Above the door were the words, 'Tavern at the End of the Multiverse.'

Beside her, Marco titled his head. "Why does that look like a bad movie reference?" he asked.

Hekapoo ignored him. "Welcome to the Tavern at the End of the Multiverse!" she announced. "Well, come on. Are you just going to stand out there in the rain all night?" She walked forward and the bouncer moved the velvet rope for her. "They're with me."

Marco and Janna shrugged and went to join her, but Star stayed behind for a moment. What if this was another trap? She knew that Hekapoo had set them up to meet her mother and Mina, but why would she help them now? She didn't want to lead her friends into another trap.

"Hey, Star-girly." The Scissors Enforcer calling her name grabbed her attention. "Are you coming?"

Star-girly? Hekapoo hadn't called her that since she was six. Despite herself, Star felt herself soften slightly. Maybe she should hear her out; who knew what had caused her betrayal? Besides, she didn't fancy standing outside in the rain; it was rather cold out here.

Thus, against her better judgment, Star followed Hekapoo inside.

OoOoOo

Once they were inside, Star crossed her arms expectantly. "So?" she demanded. "What happened?" They were betrayed by this woman and she wanted to know why. She also wanted reassurance that Meteora and the Diazes were safe from the Solarian Warriors. If anything had happened to them, she would blast Hekapoo into the next multiverse, then she would go after her mother. After that, she would tear every Solarian Warrior apart with her bare hands.

...

She was starting to think she had issues.

Hekapoo sighed. "Moon found out that I helped you," she revealed. "I had to get you to come here. Mina threatened to run me through with her sword if I didn't." She shuddered, but her eye looked down at the floor in guilt. "After she captured you three, I went to free Janna and Marco and we were able to escape the Solarian Warriors to come to get you."

Star's magic suddenly burst, causing everyone in the room to jump back. "So, you sacrificed our lives for your own?" she boomed. Her eyes were glowing white in anger, as were her cheek marks. She was so tired of people making choices that they knew would hurt people. She was tired of people being selfish and narrow-minded and- ugh!

Marco immediately jumped in front of her, blocking Hekapoo from her wrath. "Star, she helped us!" he reminded her. "Doesn't that count for something?"

That just served to piss her off more. Why was Marco always kissing the ground Hekapoo walked on? He knew she was wrong, yet he never failed to defend her. Well, if he wanted to date Hekapoo instead, who the hell was stopping him?

"Marco, she put Meteora in danger!" she shot back, glaring at him now. They would deal with their relationship later, but they had people that they needed to keep safe. "Not to mention Mariposa and your parents!"

"Moon didn't ask me to take her to Earth!" Hekapoo was quick to intervene. Honestly, she looked a little afraid. "She just wanted you on Mewni!"

Star took a deep breath, stomping down on her magic; losing her head wasn't going to get her anywhere. "What if Mina had jumped through the portal that brought us there during your little ambush?" she responded. "Or what if they took your scissors from you? You have no idea what could have happened! Mina wants Meteora dead, she has for centuries. You can't just do whatever without thinking about it!"

"That is literally what you do ninety percent of the time!"

"You-"

"All of you, SHUT UP!" Everyone's head snapped to see Janna glaring harshly at them. "I can't believe you three! You're here arguing about this when we should be figuring out what we're gonna do next!"

Silence. The three looked at each other, then back at the girl. None of them had expected this from her.

Star flushed slightly; Janna was right. Here she was having a temper tantrum when she should have been planning for their next move. "You're right, Janna Banana," she admitted guiltily. "I'm sorry."

It was then that Star was reminded how much her friend had changed. She had sat with all their friends until their time was up, had consoled them on their deathbeds. She wasn't the same laidback, fun-loving person she had been just a few days ago.

No, Janna had witnessed the price of war. Who knew what she was dealing with inside?

Janna gave her a half-hearted smile. "It's fine," she assured her. "But we really need to figure out where we're going from here."

Star sighed. "I really don't know what to do now," she stated. "My mom blasted me out of the sky when I tried to perform the Annihilation Spell. Unless we distract her, I don't see how I can get another-"

"Wait for just a second!" Hekapoo interrupted. "You guys are really thinking of going back?"

Star, Janna, and Marco gave her a blank look. "Uh... yeah," the boy answered. "Why wouldn't we?"

"Uh, maybe the hundreds of superpowered Solarian Warriors waiting for you!" the Scissors Enforcer reminded them. "Not to mention, Moon! She's not going to stop until she has the wand and you, Star!"

The blond in question sighed, shaking her head. "You just don't get it, do you, Hekapoo?" she asked tiredly. She knew Hekapoo wouldn't understand. There wasn't anyone she cared about, she didn't have anything to fight for other than herself. And why would she fight when self-preservation was high on her list? "All of my friends gave their lives fighting for Mewni. Eclipsa and Globgor died and entrusted me with their daughter and Mewni. I'm not going to run and hide; I'm going to make sure they're sacrifices are honored."

Hekapoo just looked at her for a moment before a small smile slipped onto her face. "You've grown a lot, Star," she remarked. She reached into her dress pockets and pulled out a pair of golden sisters. "Here you go, Girly. Do what you have to do."

Star took the scissors and gave the woman a smile of her own. "Thank you," she said sincerely. Despite her problems with Hekapoo, her scissors were a key part in what they had to do. "Now, we have to-"

"Seems that you lot are in a bit of a pickle." She spun around to see Glossaryck floating above one to the stools at the bar, his legs crossed and a pudding cup in front of him. "I, honestly, don't see how you're going to get out of this one."

Star glared at him. "Oh, now he shows his face," she muttered distastefully. She was sick of all of his games and riddles; people were literally drying and here he was eating pudding. "Where were you when my mom went power-hungry, created Solarian Warriors, and killed Eclipsa?"

He was, as always, unphased by her anger. "Oh, here and there," he answered, gesturing around with his spoon.

Well, that was enough to send her over the edge.

"Nope!" Star exclaimed. She was tired of the cryptic clues, dammit! She was going to get an answer on what to do once and for all! "Nope, nope, nope, I'm not dealing with this right now!" Stomping over towards him, she forced his eyelid open before forcing herself into his eye.

Instantly, her vision was obscured by darkness.

OoOoOo

When Star awoke, she instantly knew where she was.

"Oh, so you're just gonna stick me in the Grandmother Room!" she fumed angrily. "Fine, fine! I'll find the answers I need on my own!" By herself and cursing Glossaryck under her breath, Star began to look around. Her mother's tapestry caught her eye first. "Oh, hey, Mom." She vaguely wondered if Young Moon ever thought that her life would end up like this. Probably not. "Hey, Eclip-" She cut herself off with a gasp.

Eclipsa's picture wasn't in her tapestry.

Looking around, she noticed that neither was Festivia or Crescenta or Rhina or anyone. They were all gone.

That wasn't normal.

Her eyes traveled to the tapestry before her mother's- which was her unfinished one- and noticed eleven figures. Shadowy, transparent, ghost-like figures all standing around it- familiar figures. Instantly, they all turned to her and she knew who they were.

The past Queens of Mewni.

Skywynne was at the helm and her eyes regarded her with mild interest and a bit of criticism. Solaria and Jushtin stood on either side of their mother; Solaria standing like a soldier ready for battle and Jushtin hiding behind her.

Standing awkwardly to the side of them was Festivia who actually looked rather sad as she stared at her descendant. Dirhennia's one eye was indifferent and she looked as if she were bored out of her mind. Crescenta's nose was turned up at Star as if she were nothing more than dirt on her shoe.

Rhina was giving her a calculating look with her head tilted to the side analytically. Celena's face was completely blank and Star wasn't even sure that she was looking at her. Estrella seemed to pay her no mind as her eyes stayed trained on her tapestry.

Eclipsa and Comet were away from the group, talking quietly to one another. But both of their eyes widened when they saw Star. Eclipsa smiled kindly at her, but Comet's face stayed blank as she stared.

Eleven Queens of Mewni, most of them her ancestors, but some of them baring no relation to her. Standing before them all made her weak in the knees; the power they gave off was immense and frightening. She supposed there was a reason why the Butterflies were the most powerful in the kingdom.

Comet was the one to approach her, coming to a stop just a few inches away from her. She silently raised a hand, lightly caressing her cheek mark. "Hello, little one," she greeted, a smile making its way onto her face.

Star relaxed a bit and managed to smile back. "Hi, Grandma," she greeted.

"You look just like your mother," remarked Comet, but her expression turned sad. "I wish I could say that under better circumstances."

Behind her, Crescenta huffed. "I don't see what the big deal is," she interposed snobbishly, her arms crossed over her chest. "She's doing what any good queen should; getting the monsters under control. Moon is doing the right thing."

Solaria viciously glared at her. "So killing my daughter was the right thing?" she snapped. Her fingers were curled into fists at her side and Star thought that she might start swinging on the blond.

Crescenta was unperturbed. "Who was the one who made the Solarian Warriors in the first place?" she reminded the redhead. "Everything that's happened is your doing." Festivia and Dirhennia both gave her a look. "What? It's true."

Solaira lunged at her but was promptly stopped.

Surprisingly, it was Eclipsa who put a hand on her shoulder. "Mother, let's not fight," she reasoned. "There are bigger matters at hand." She turned to her friend. "Star, dear, do you know why you're here?"

Star pursed her lips. "Well, I kinda forced my way into Glossaryck's eye looking for answers," she recalled. "But I don't know why he put me in here with all of you."

Comet took her shoulders and led her over to her tapestry. "Come along, dear," she coaxed. "Your tapestry's done, it had been for a while now. Would you like to see it?"

Star's eyes settled on her tapestry and her eyes went wide.

It was her in her Butterfly Form, her six fists clenched and her face twisted into that of fury. Across from her was her mother, also in her Butterfly Form, wearing a similar expression. Below them, a battlefield with Marco, Janna, and Tom under her and the Solarian Warriors under her mother.

It was the final battle.

Star looked at Comet, whose eyes were downcast. "But... what does this mean?" she asked. But inside, she knew what it meant. She was going to have to fight her mother, possibly to the death. One of them was going to be deemed the winner and the other...

Comet gestured to her inscription. "Why don't you take a look?" she suggested. Star glanced down to read what it said.

_Star the Underestimated_  
_was queen for just one day_  
_Her one decision on the throne:_  
_To give it all away_

Well, she already knew that. She had seen her own rhyme in the Book of Spells once Eclipsa had repaired it and she had expected it. But there was something else; a second stanza beneath the first.

_No one expected much from Star,_  
_That was their first mistake_  
_She will do her best for Mewni_  
_No matter her own ache_

That had never happened before. Every Queen of Mewni was supposed to have one stanza that described an action they did to affect the kingdom; for better or worse. None of the eleven queens standing in front of her had more than one stanza and she had never heard of any queens before them like Lyric or Soupina having it either.

"I-I don't understand," uttered Star, her eyes trained on her second stanza. "What does this mean?"

Comet placed a hand on her shoulder, her lips forming a grim line. "We have much to discuss."

OoOoOo

**Friendly Reminder: Don't kill me. Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**SO, complete honesty here, I have up to chapter eleven done. I've actually had them done for almost a year. Sorry about that! I KNOW I should have posted them sooner. But the thing is, I'm not completely sure how I like these chapters. BUT because I know a lot of people wanted to see where this story was going, I've decided to post them one at a time. Hopefully, I'll get some semblance of plot back in my brain. If enough peeps want me to continue I promise I'll try my best.**

**Please enjoy!**

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"So, what's going on?" questioned Star as she stared at the queens in front of her. From Skywynne to Comet, she had admired all of them for her entire life. It was both overwhelming and exciting; she felt as though her knees would give out any moment. "Why did Glossaryck send me here of all places?" While it was amazing to see all eleven of them, it didn't tell her what she was doing with them. What was Glossaryck's plan?

Comet gave her a reassuring smile. "Well, most people, including us, never really know what that little guy's planning," she stated. "but I can only assume that he sent you here to learn from us."

The blond tilted her head in confusion. "Learn from you?" she repeated. "Why?"

This time, it was Skywynne who stepped forward, standing in front of all the other queens. Star was relieved to see that the redhead's face was considerably softer now. "We were only young girls when we wrote our chapters in the Book of Spells," she explained. "Most of us didn't learn half of what we know now until later in life." A smile graced her pretty face. "I think that you are much wiser than any of us were at your age."

Eclipsa nodded. "That's just what I was thinking," she agreed with a smile on her face. Her eyes were glowing with happiness at the blond and Star made sure to smile back. She missed Eclipsa terribly, but it was nice to be able to see her again.

Crescenta sniffed pompously. "She lost the Magic Book of Spells and Glossaryck, destroyed the Royal Magic Wand (twice), disgraced the Butterfly name, and handed the throne over to the literal Queen of Darkness," she reminded everyone. "I'd hardly call that wise."

Surprisingly, it was Festivia who leveled her daughter with a glare. "You turned your sister into a wolf," she sharply retorted. "We've all made mistakes, Crescenta Butterfly."

Crescenta flushed but glared back at her mother. Still, she said nothing more about it as she huffed and crossed her arms.

Skywynne raised an eyebrow at the thirty-first Queen of Mewni before returning her attention to Star. "As I was saying," she continued, obviously a bit aggravated at the interruption. "each of us is going to take you aside and teach you all we know. You will start with Comet and continue up the line until you reach me."

The chef in question gave her an encouraging smile. "Come along, love," she coaxed gently. Star saw no other choice than to follow her.

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They strolled along the dark, winding corridors that greatly resembled the ones in Butterfly Castle. Star was sure to keep her distance from Comet, now sure what to make of her grandma-grandma. Yes, from reading her chapter, Comet seemed like a neat person, but those were just words on a page. Besides, this was her daughter they were planning to take down; why would she help her?

"Now, we have much to discuss," spoke Comet suddenly, grabbing the blond's attention. "As you probably gathered from my chapter, magic didn't really interest me as much as cooking did; I didn't even start using it until Moon was a couple of years old. I did, however, read up on the theory behind it."

The chef held out her hand. "May I borrow your wand?" she requested. "I never really got around to learning wandless magic."

Star nodded. "Sure," she allowed, handing it over.

As soon as Comet held it in her hands, the wand transformed into a rolling pin. A smile settled on her lips as the purple butterflies on her cheeks glowed brightly, much like Eclipsa's had when the wand was returned to her. "I forgot how powerful this is," she commented with a grin.

"It does pack a punch," Star agreed. She had felt the same way, holding the wand after it had been in Eclipsa's possession for so long.

"Now, let's begin," decided Comet as they came upon a large oak door. Upon opening it, she could see that the room inside looked a lot like Butterfly Castle's ballroom. The only real difference was that it wasn't nearly as polished.

The chef nodded in satisfaction. "This will do," she accepted. "Are you ready, Star?"

Star shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be."

OoOoOo

"Now, magic is all about intent," explained Comet, holding the wand up to her chest. "Your magic responds to your intentions alone. As you may recall, in Skywyyne's chapter, she accidentally created a hybrid of food that turned out disgusting. This was because she was craving something other than what she was trying to make for her people. When doing spells, you have to make sure it's something you really want. For example..."

Comet waved the wand, a pink aura emitting from it. It traveled into the kitchen and came back with everything needed to make a pie. The chef twirled and her magic got to work, prepping the pie faster than anyone Star had ever seen before. It finally finished by popping it into the oven.

"That... was fast," commented the blond is amazement. It would take hours for the royal cooks to make a pie on Mewni. Her grandmother really was good in the kitchen.

Comet smiled at her. "That pie should be done in a moment," she told her. She gestured to a small, round table in front of them with was adorned with plates and silverware. "Have a seat, dear. Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself while we wait?"

Star obliged, sitting directly across from her grandmother. "Well, I was born on Stump Day," she began because what was she supposed to say? They were ignoring the elephant in the room. They were doing all this to take down Moon; her mother and Comet's daughter. How did that not bother the thirty-fifth Queen of Mewni? "I never let anyone celebrate my birthday because I dedicate the whole day to the Stump."

Comet's eyes twinkled with amusement. "I was quite fond of Stump Day, myself," she recalled. "Moon, on the other hand, never really had an interest in it; she said it was for the superstitious."

Well, that definitely sounded like her mother.

"Doesn't it bother you?" blurted Star without thinking. She had to know why Comet was so nonchalant with helping her when she knew that Moon had to be taken down. She knew that if it was her child- even if she was dead- she would do anything in her power to protect them.

No matter what they had done.

Comet's mouth formed a thin line and for a second Star thought that she had offended her grandmother. But the chef sighed and cupped her cheek, her thumb gently caressing her cheek mark. "I love my daughter," she swore as if taking an oath. "More than anything in this dimension and any other one." She pulled away, fiddling with her thumbs on the table. "But I know that she's made some bad choices lately."

She stood up, walking toward one of the large windows and beckoned her granddaughter to join her. "I suppose no one ever realized the full extent of what Moon's been through," she mused. "We were very close, mind you, then I was killed and the responsibility of being queen was thrust upon her." She scowled lightly. "Not to mention the absence of her father. Moon's never really had someone to depend on; at least not while being queen.

"She's had to take everything into her own hands for her entire life. I can only imagine how that intensified when you were born, darling. You are the light of her life, everything she's doing, she's doing for you."

Star opened her mouth to protest- to insist that her mother was just being a control freak- this but was silenced by her grandmother's hand.

"Please let me finish," Comet requested softly. "Star, why do you think that she would go to these extremes? She did it for you. Now, I can't tell you exactly what she was thinking, but I know my daughter. From her actions, I can deduce that she feared for your safety; what with Eclipsa in complete power and monsters running rampant, she was probably worried out of her mind."

"But she's hurt so many people," Star reminded her. "Mina's rounding up all the monsters right now and her Solarian Warriors are tearing apart the kingdom! She's doing more harm than Eclipsa ever did."

Comet gave her a sad smile. "I'm not saying that her motive excuses her actions," she assured her granddaughter. "I'm just saying that if you understand why she did what she did, it may pave the way to a better solution."

Before either of them could say anymore about it, the timer near the oven let out a ding. Comet smiled. "It looks like the Red Solanaceae Pie is ready," she declared, using the wand to remove the pie from the oven. She set it down on the table in front of them. "Would you like a slice?"

Star raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't we be, like, training?" she questioned. "Why are we sitting here, eating pie?"

"Well, do you expect us to train on empty stomachs?" Comet retorted. "What's the point of fighting a war and holding a meeting if we can't sit down and enjoy quality food once in a while?" She took a serrated knife and cut her a piece.

Star crossed her arms and grumbled but took a fork anyway; denying a host's food was one of the rudest things you could do. Her mother had taught her that. Besides, she knew this was Comet's most famous recipe and how much she took pride in her food; she didn't want to hurt her grandmother's feelings.

So, despite her own impatience, Star took a bite of the pie. Immediately, a hum of delight escaped her throat at the taste; the middle was salty and delicious and the crust was flavorful and flaky, which balanced it out. Now she knew why her grandmother's recipes were more powerful than any magic in her time.

Comet had a smug, self-satisfied smirk on her face. "Good?" she asked.

The blond nodded. "Very." Without another warning, she devoured the rest of her dessert, just now recalling that she hadn't eaten in about two days.

She was starving.

Once she was done, she let out an enormous belch. Any other time, she wouldn't have cared, but in front of her grandmother, she felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment. There was a fine line between how she was eating and how a pig would eat and it wasn't the impression she wanted to make on her grandmother.

Comet smirked. "Stand up," she commanded. "Now the real training begins."

OoOoOo

"Nightshade Disarm!"

Comet nodded in satisfaction as the weapons of a dozen training holograms went flying out of their hands. "Good," she praised. Now finish them off. She no longer had the wand; it was no in her granddaughter's expression. She was standing off to the side, watching everything with an evaluating expression.

Star herself- dressed in yoga pants and a sports bra- had sweat glistening from every inch of her body. They had been going at this for hours with Comet teaching her new spells and the room sending hologram warriors to attack her. She had been using Comet's spells as well as her own, doing her best to hold them off. It wasn't easy since the warriors were as similar as Solarian Warriors as the room could make them, but she was doing her best to hold her own.

"Now, finish them off," instructed Comet as the warriors charged at her without their weapons.

Star nodded, lifting her wand up. "Summoning Razor- " she began before touching her wand to the ground. "Crane Charm!" Razor Cranes appeared and began to carry off the disarmed holograms. The holograms disappeared and the Razor Cranes- with nothing to carry off- disappeared.

"Very well done, Star," approved Comet, approaching her. "You've mastered all of my spells, but there is one final test." She gestured to the table, which was set with two plates and two forks. "Bake my Red Solanaceae Pie."

Star raised an eyebrow. "What?" she asked incredulously. "Why?"

Comet laughed. "Now, I think you know better than to question your grandmother," she replied, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Now, why don't you get started on that pie?"

The blond grumbled but did as her grandmother said. She cleaned herself off and put on an apron and chef hat. Using her magic, she gathered all the necessary ingredients; the tomatoes, thyme, onion, butter, flour, vegetable stock, salt, pepper, gruyere cheese, and bread crumbs. Of course, they had different names on Mewni, but being on Earth for so long had gotten her used to their Earth names.

Star quickly got to work, the recipe out in front of her as she started. She was careful to follow the recipe exactly, making sure that everything was perfect. When she had finished the preparation, she popped it into the oven, setting the timer as well.

"Now why did I have to do that again, Grandma?" she huffed, wiping a bead of sweat from her eyebrow.

Comet winked. "You'll know soon enough, little one," she promised.

Soon, the pie was ready as Star used her magic to take it out of the oven. She took a bit of dough and morphed it into a butterfly, the old song slipping from her lips before she could stop it.

_Over, under, around and through_  
_Grab the little Mewni rabbit, pull him through_

Comet gasped lightly, her eyes wet with tears. Star stopped for a moment before her grandmother approached her, standing directly in front of her. They began to sing together, their voices sad and forlorn as they harmonized.

_Pinch it and fold it and tie it in a bow_  
_Like two little bunny ears made out of dough_  
_Over and under, wherever you roam_  
_Sweet little Mewni rabbit, hop back home_

"Moony used to love that song," Comet recalled sadly, her eyes downcast as the blonde set the butterfly on the pie.

"She still does," Star assured her. "She sings it whenever she makes pie and..." She flushed in embarrassment. "It's how I learned to tie my shoes."

Comet smiled wistfully, kissing Star on the forehead. "Why don't we take this pie?" she suggested.

Star nodded and the two sat down at the table. The blond used her magic to cut them both a piece and set them down on their plates. Comet took a bite of her piece and her features lit up in delight. "Delicious," she remarked proudly. "You've passed, my little flower."

Star smiled. "Thank you, Grandma," she responded. "That means a lot."

One down, ten to go. She could do this.

OoOoOo

**So can you see why I put this on hiatus? The plot's a bit... weak. But I figured it was unfair to keep you all waiting when I have so many chapters written. The support I've gotten for this story is overwhelming! Maybe I can rework it a bit and figure some stuff out. Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, for some reason I have this labeled as chapter 10. I don't want to know where chapter nine up and went, so I'm gonna have to figure that out. Please enjoy!**

OoOoOo

"Star, are you paying attention?"

Star was snapped back to reality by this question. She turned to see Celena looking at her, her one visible eye staring at her with slight disapproval. "I know that potion-brewing might not be as exciting as cutting your enemies down to the ground," the woman uttered sarcastically. She didn't seem mad, though she was sure to make her displeasure known. "But some of these potions could save your life one day."

The blond flush guiltily; she hadn't meant to doze off, but Celena's lesson was just like her chapter- boring! There were no cosmic mysteries like her royal family inscription stated, only potions! How was she supposed to pay attention to something as tedious as that?

Still, this was her great-great-grandmother and Star wanted to show her the utmost respect. "Sorry," she apologized. "Please continue."

Celena sighed. "As I was saying," she continued as she placed the ingredients down in front of her. "You will need the drawstring bag- in purple, blue or black- dried cinnamon sticks in halves or thirds, dried star anise seed pods, and a small cat's-eye crystal." She placed all the ingredients into her drawstring back- purple was her selection- and closed it shut. She then placed it around the blond's neck. "This will protect you from evil."

She didn't know how much of that she believed but thanked her great-great-grandmother anyway.

Celena took a green vial from the inside of her robes. "Use this whenever you need help," she instructed, placing it into her hands.

Star studied the vial. "What is it?" she asked curiously. The cream-colored label read 'Spirit Attraction Potion' and had a little picture of a black skull on it.

"You can use it to call one of us," the strawberry blond woman elaborated. "Or anyone else who's passed on. This is all I have on me, so unless you have the Book of Spells on hand, I suggest using it sparingly."

Star nodded, putting it into her purse. "I will," she agreed. "Anything else you need to teach me?"

Celena grinned. "My dear girl, we've only just begun."

OoOoOo

"You're faced with a battalion of Solarian soldiers," Celena detailed from the sidelines. Her voice was uncharacteristically harsh and sharp as she explained the situation. "Your wand's almost dead, your own energy is low, and your allies have fallen. You are in the middle of the Forest of Certain Death. What do you do?"

"I..." began Star, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead as her eyes darted around in thought. "I would take a red solanaceae-" she began tentatively, reaching down to pick one up. Even though the Solaria Warriors creeping toward her were only simulations, she still felt like throwing up at the sight of them. "-a three-pointed evergreen leaf, and a pinch of magic root dust." She gathered both of those things as quickly as she could, lest the warriors come any closer.

Celena raised an eyebrow. "And?" she prompted.

The blond bit her lip. "And I sprinkle the root dust onto the leaf," she proceeded, doing her best to recall her knowledge from her earlier lessons. "Then, I crush the red solanaceae juice onto the leaf as well."

"Good," the strawberry blond remarked with a nod. "Then what?"

"I stuff the leaf into what's left of the red solanaceae," Star progressed, her actions mirroring her words.

"And what does that do?"

The blond finally grinned, leaping into the air as her uneasiness was erased. She had done it, she could finish the job. "It creates a SUPER AWESOME SMOKE BOMB!" she announced, launching it towards the Solarian Warriors. It landed on the ground in front of them. Immediately, a layer of smoke engulfed the forest, giving Star a clear escape.

"Very good," Celena praised as the smoke lifted. The simulation ended, returning the ballroom to its former state. "But do you know why this works?"

Star resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I know how to make it," she reminded her. "Isn't that all that matters?" She didn't need to know how things worked, she just did them. She wasn't interested in learning the theory behind magic or anything like that; what was the point if she could just do it easily?

Celena raised a single eyebrow (really, her only eyebrow) at her. "Star, how do you think magic came to be in the first place?" she questioned incredulously. "People learned, people discovered. We need to know how things work to use them effectively."

A red solanaceae, a leaf, and a bit of magic root dust appeared in front of them. Celena knelt down to the ground and gestured for her great-great-granddaughter to do the same. "You see," she explained. "the magic root is magic, but not until it's drenched in the red solanaceae juice. That's when its magical properties are activated. And the leaf- an extension of Mother Nature herself- helps to stabilize it. Without the leaf, we wouldn't get smoke; just a bunch of fire. Do you want to set everything on fire?"

Star sighed. "No..." she admitted, crossing her arms over her chest.

Celena smiled. "Good girl," she cooed, patting her on the head. "Now, do you think you can make me a Healing Draught?"

Star immediately perked up; finally something she would really need. "Yeah!" she assured her. She immediately sprung up off the ground, ready to brew the draught.

Celena simply chuckled at her.

OoOoOo

_'I am at the end of time and space and at the beginning of the end. What am I?'_

Star groaned as she stared at the riddle. What was this riddle going to help her with later in life? No, she didn't think it was. So why was this woman trying to make her solve this? So far, Rhina was proving to be her most frustrating grandmother; everything just seemed to be so complicated with her.

Behind her, Rhina the Riddled chortled. "You're thinking too hard," she remarked. "Just look at the words. You're a smart girl, you can figure this out."

The blond felt like tearing out her hair. "No, I can't!" she insisted. She had never been good at using logic in, well, any situation. She had already known that Rhina's training would be the most difficult for her because it required using her head, not her hands.

Rhina sighed. "Child, you may not see the value of riddles know," she began. "but I promise they'll help later in life."

"And how is that?" snapped Star. She didn't mean to be so testy with her great-great-great-grandmother, but Rhina was frustrating her.

"I will explain after you complete this riddle," the redhead maintained.

Star groaned but said no more about it as her eyes settled on the riddle once more. However, try as she might, she couldn't seem to concentrate. What was at the beginning of the end? What was at the end of space and time? She didn't know. In fact, no one could know except for Glossaryck, Father Time, and _maybe_ Skywynne. So, how would Rhina know?

She looked up at the woman- who was peering down at her through her glasses- and came to a startling realization.

Rhina _didn't_ know what is at the end of space and time or the beginning of the end. At least, not literally. She was right; it was all about the wording. Star looked back at the riddle and the answer popped into her head.

"The letter 'e,'" she said aloud. "That's the answer."

Rhina smiled at her. "Very good. Now, come along. Your real training starts now."

OoOoOo

"Riddles may be all fun and games to you, child," began Rhina, waving the wand in her hands. "But they can, in fact, be very useful especially during battle."

Star titled her head. "How's that?" she asked. She didn't know if she believed it- whoever heard or riddles during battle?- but she had learned to keep an open mind when dealing with her grandmas, so she supposed she could extend the same courtesy to Rhina. So, she patiently waited for the redhead to explain things to her properly.

Rhina grinned. "Why, for secret codes, of course!" she clarified. "Say, for instance, that you took down Mina, but the other Solarian Warriors were still at large. You could say, 'Mother hen has left her nest.' This way, you can alert your team that Mina is down, but not alert the other side."

She found it strange, but not entirely without merit. She knew that a lot of soldiers developed secret codes to communicate without alerting their enemies. Still, did they need to be riddles? Couldn't they just make up code names or something?

The redhead clapped her hands together and the room around them began to change. They were now in the Forest of Certain Death and looming over her was a Solarian Warrior. Star flinched back but quickly recovered as she morphed into her Butterfly Form. "Narwhal Blast!" she shouted. However, the narwhals just bounced off the warrior's armor.

"Blueberry Cupcake Bazooka!" she tried again. She held the bazooka in her and fired it at the towering figure. He staggered for a moment but continued his stride toward her.

"Star, use your head!" instructed Rhina. "Solarian Warriors may be strong, but they lack something else!"

Well, duh; the Solarian Warriors were slow as hell. But how could she- oh. _Oh_. "Raspberry Ribbon Lasso!" Pink lassos shot out from her hands and wrapped around the warrior's ankles. "The biggest tree falls the hardest!"

Rhina smirked. "Got it." She shot a spell at the warrior, knocking it down to the ground. Star quickly flew out of the way and landed right next to the redhead. "Excellent work, dear. Though, your riddle-work could use some practice." She beamed, taking out a list. "Why don't we sit down and go over my nine-step riddle procedure?"

Star stared at the list with wide eyes before dashing off toward the door. "Sorry, Rhina, I need a break!" she called over her shoulder. "Maybe another time!"

That was a close one.

OoOoOo

Alright, next was Crescenta.

To say that Crescenta was her least favorite grandma would be an understatement. She knew that there had been something wrong with the woman, her over-eagerness to prove herself had proved to be dangerous to the people around her- especially the monsters. She had been dreading this lesson since she had first started with Comet.

Besides, it was more than clear that the feeling was mutual. Crescenta seemed to look down on her, seeing her as a disgrace to the Butterfly legacy. And, alright, some of that may have been true, but she thought that she had done much better as Queen in those four days than Crescenta had in her entire reign.

"Well, I hope you didn't think that this was a time for lounging."

Star jumped, spinning around to see the woman in question. Her arms were crossed and she was wearing a thoroughly unimpressed look on her face. "Crescenta!" she exclaimed. "How long have you been staring there?"

Crescenta leveled her with a glare. "Long enough to know that Skywynne and Comet were exaggerating when it came to you," she snapped. "You aren't worth my valuable and precious time, but I don't want to have to hear it later from both of them. Let's go!"

Star glared after her, but bit down the retort sizzling on her tongue; she didn't want to anger the sociopath. Who knew what she was capable of?

But she was going to make sure to keep her guard up with Crescenta. No other queen- not even Solaria- had ever disturbed her more. While Solaria had made her hatred for monsters clear by brutally murdering them, Crescenta had used dirty, underhanded politically tactics to keep the monsters under her control. A part of her felt like that was worse.

Nevertheless, Star- against her better judgment- followed the woman into the training room.

OoOoOo

**Please review!**


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